Samantha Owen-Softball – Junior

The Lancers’ junior captain came up big on the biggest stage, going 7-for-7 with a home run and six RBI in a pair of victories that gave East Union its first Sac-Joaquin Section softball championship since 2004

East Union-Manteca – Softball – Junior

The Lancers’ junior captain came up big on the biggest stage, going 7-for-7 with a home run and six RBI in a pair of victories that gave East Union its first Sac-Joaquin Section softball championship since 2004. Owen paced a 12-1 win over two-time defending champion Pioneer in the SJS Division III final with a 3-for-3 effort that included the homer, three runs and five RBI to force an additional game to determine the champion. In the second game, she was 4-for-4 as the Lancers routed the Patriots 17-3 to clinch the title. In the postseason, Owen batted an incredible .800 (20-for-25) as East Union outscored opponents 72-18 in seven games. She finished the season with a .643 batting average, nine home runs and 61 RBI. The final seven hits she collected on the last night of the season gave her a section-best 72 — in just 33 games.

IN HER OWN WORDS: “We were seeing the ball real well and I think that we really wanted it more,” Owen said of the team’s offensive outburst in the final two games. “We felt a little underestimated by them and, once we got started, we wanted to show no mercy.”

HONORABLE MENTION

Bryce Mefford: The Oak Ridge sophomore swimmer was a double-winner at the Sac-Joaquin Section Finals with individual victories in both the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke events.

Mikaela Lujan: The Nevada Union senior won her third consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Diving Championship with a score of 483.55. The South Carolina-signee earned a trip to the inaugural CIF State Swimming and Diving Championships in Clovis.

Steven Stockton: The Brookside Christian senior shortstop led the Knights to the program’s second SJS title by batting .527 and scoring a section-best 57 runs with five home runs, 29 RBI and 24 stolen bases.